April 5, 2017

The overarching goal of The Conference Board of Canada’s How Canada Performs is to measure quality of life for Canada, its provinces and territories (whenever comparable data are available), and its peer countries. Quality of life is not only affected by standard of living, i.e., income per capita, but is also a reflection of social outcomes. Inequity and poverty in a country or region have a huge impact on the health of the population, educational outcomes, and social cohesion. For example, low levels of civic participation and engagement, high crime rates, and overall social unrest are all associated with higher levels of poverty and inequity.